- 7 weeks ago
Lady A joins Katie Neal inside the Audacy Studios inside the Hard Rock located in the heart of Nashville to talk about their "baby boom era," new Christmas collection, and holiday tour.
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MusicTranscript
00:00Well, here to spread some Christmas cheer is a seven-time Grammy Award-winning lady
00:05A thank you guys for coming in. Thanks for having us. I appreciate it. I know that you guys have had like the busy
00:10year, including the welcoming of two new babies to the group.
00:15Hilary, you and your husband had a little girl this year. How's she doing? She's great. She is
00:20a little over three months old now and FaceTimed her on the walk-in, getting real smiles.
00:25Um, and everybody's great watching my oldest three.
00:30Just the way that they've grown and matured and how much they adore their little sister is, is
00:35so, so special. And so, um, we're doing great. We're a little tired. Yeah. But
00:40it's good. The girls, they probably feel like they have a baby doll, right? They do. Yes.
00:45Pick a real life baby doll. And they're so helpful. They're so helpful. That's so fantastic. And then Charles, you and Cassie just had a
00:50little boy. Oh my gosh. He's doing great. It's, uh, it's fun. I mean, Ward, same word as
00:55just like our nine-year-old is just loving it, you know, but he doesn't have to wake up in the middle of the night. So he's
01:00he gets still, but it, but it's, it's great. I mean, it's definitely an adjustment. Um,
01:04um,
01:05I'm excited for Christmas. That's when I feel like he'll be a little bit more settled down.
01:10And, and really kind of show, you know, show a little bit more smiles and personality to say,
01:15it's just, it's just a fun time. It's a head trip though. I bet it is. We were done with it.
01:18I was, this is a big surprise for you guys.
01:20It was a big surprise. I was not prepared for a new baby at Ford in my forties.
01:25But, uh, when Cassie told you, what was your reaction?
01:27I was at a writing appointment and it's funny. I was at
01:30a buddy, Sam Ellis. And he, after he found out, he was like, dude,
01:35I actually have a ring camera. Cause I'd walked out and got on the phone. He goes,
01:39I have a ring.
01:40And he goes, I hope you don't mind. But like, uh, you know,
01:43and he sent it to us like, this is gold.
01:45It was me in a reaction and I'm like, what are you kidding?
01:50I'm just like laughing. And then we kind of get back that night and then it was like,
01:54whoa. Yeah. And it was like a little bit of like, whoa, like really.
01:59Like, like, you know, um, so, but, but it's, but it's been wonderful. I mean, I think, you know,
02:04just shows you, you know, God will throw you a little curve balls and it's going to be great.
02:09I mean, you know, it was, uh, we kind of had our next 10 years planned out.
02:14Got to reset that.
02:16I told Charles, I can relate. I was 14 when my only sister.
02:19My sister was born really. So it just, your whole life changes. And I can,
02:24I can say from the siblings perspective, like it is so cool to know that you.
02:29You are note like you're never alone ever. Yes. Like it's just such a sweet, sweet.
02:34It's amazing. I actually, I have a sister who's 13 years older than me. And so my nephews are
02:38actually one of them.
02:39closer than ages to me, but like they're like 25 and 21. So it's crazy. And then I've got nephews that are
02:44three. I had two, uh, two siblings. I've got three older ones, but, but.
02:49My brother Josh and I were close in age, but then I have a brother and sister that were 10 years older than me.
02:54And I, I think I wouldn't have gotten into music if it wasn't for the two of them.
02:59Bringing home music. I mean, they would bring influence. I mean, I was eight years old, you know,
03:03and they're bringing home whatever they're.
03:04listening to college. So I'm, I'm listening to REM, you know, I remember hearing like Dave Matthews.
03:09man for the first time, um, you know, Nirvana, Pearl, all those, those acts.
03:14you know, that I would not have, you know, I would have been in to whatever, you know,
03:19Disney songs, but I was listening to, you know, whatever mom and dad. Yeah. Listen to the black
03:24Sabbath at eight years old. Like this is cool. Right. And then Dave, you and your wife, you had a baby last
03:29summer. It's been a whole baby boom. We're in a baby boom era. That's our new, our new.
03:34mood, but no, it's great. We got our third, a one-year-old named Joseph at home. So he's great.
03:37He's run all over the place and.
03:39falling down and hitting his head on everything. Kids of that age are like Gumby. And I swear,
03:43they're like trying to kill.
03:44themselves. I know. Can I do it? I know. It's just even like my wife's went out of town for like eight
03:49days.
03:49And I'm like, Oh boy, this has been a lot. Yeah. Let's just take a moment and celebrate Dave Haywood.
03:54Well, I say it with a caveat because my wife did that for years while we really talked.
03:59We toured heavily. So anytime I bring that up, she's like, do you remember our first child when
04:03you were gone?
04:04We were gone with need you now for like 300 days. I'm like, you got it. I'm sorry.
04:08Whatever you need.
04:09Honey. Well, I'm very curious, like amongst all the life changes and the babies. At what point did
04:13you guys start?
04:14start talking. You're like, we should do another holiday album because you've been done a full
04:17one in 13 years. Yes.
04:19Well, we, we really wanted to do a Christmas tour because in our entire career, we have never toured
04:24we've done a Christmas special. We've done CMA country Christmas. We've done some performances.
04:29But, um, we've always just talked about at some point we would love to tour.
04:34For Christmas. And so we thought, well, if we're touring, we might as well freshen it up.
04:39With some new music. And so we got in the room and wrote two new originals.
04:44And then, um, found a few of our favorite classics.
04:48Let's kind of reimagine.
04:49And reimagined them. Yeah. I think we went production wise a little bit more organic this time.
04:54Um, our first volume was so many strings and horns and just the full.
04:59On like, you know, what you, what we love about Michael Buble and a lot of those other.
05:04artists and their Christmas records. But, um, so to have that, to live alongside this tour.
05:09Is, is really special.
05:10What month were you guys writing Christmas music in?
05:13February.
05:14February in March.
05:15February in March.
05:16It was a little bit wintry.
05:17Yeah.
05:18It was cold.
05:19Christmas.
05:20Yeah.
05:21I think it was March.
05:22It was a really cold day at the beginning of March, I think.
05:24When we wrote wouldn't be Christmas.
05:25Yeah.
05:26Cause then we went in and recorded in May.
05:28God.
05:29So we wrote that.
05:30And a lot of that had to do with, you have to record five.
05:34Early summer, early to mid summer, but then I was pregnant and so may was.
05:39Kind of the tail end of when I could like, not just heave my way through a song with.
05:44I would say you start to run out of room.
05:45Long capacity.
05:46What was maybe, what was your favorite song?
05:49That you guys got to record this round.
05:50Oh God.
05:51It's hard.
05:52I mean, I do think there's some.
05:54Something that you, you know, you don't want to put too many.
05:59The originals on a Christmas record, people want to hear the familiar sounds, but I, I
06:04feel like we really like put our best foot forward with these two originals that we did.
06:09So.
06:09You know, that's always the dream is like, what if, could you write, could you write the
06:14number one because you can name on your hand in the last two decades, how many Christmas
06:18songs have actually.
06:19stuck around like, like Mariah Carey's or, you know, and they're, and you know, that's
06:24just, that's just really difficult and it's, it's tough, but I don't know.
06:29I just want to say, I love how we re-imagine last Christmas.
06:32That's just, you know, we've made it more.
06:34More kind of ballad, uh, feel a mid tempo, but it kind of like it.
06:39Hillary's voice is just in the spot where I just love it.
06:42I love her voice in that spot, whatever that 10.
06:44Uh, it brings out a lot of great tone and nuances in it.
06:48And, um, just.
06:49It's a really well written song.
06:50Yeah.
06:51And, uh, I feel like over the years that's become.
06:54Maybe my top three Christmas song to listen to.
06:57I mean, I love Wham's version.
06:58I love Taylor.
06:59I love Taylor Swift's version.
07:00The Wham version.
07:01I will listen to in the middle of July with like the top down the convert.
07:03It is amazing.
07:04But isn't it wild that that song makes you happy?
07:06Listen to the lyrics.
07:07No, the lyrics are awful.
07:09It really made you want to want to actually feel the lyrics a little bit more.
07:12But, uh, but no, there, there's a lot.
07:14And then Dave had a great idea on like winter wonderland.
07:16We made it kind of beachy, you know, cause there's so many.
07:19Great versions of that song.
07:20So if you're going to do something that there's just a million versions of, um, you know.
07:24But, uh, I don't know.
07:25It's hard to nail down on one.
07:26Yeah.
07:27I mean, a lot of them are really harmony based like winter wonder.
07:29Winterland.
07:30I mean, we, um, we got to do Oh Holy Night.
07:31That was one we didn't do on the first project.
07:33Yeah.
07:34Um.
07:34And obviously that song is such a special story, um, around Christmas and the meaning
07:38of Christmas.
07:39But ours is really like three-part harmony.
07:42Charles has a really amazing vocal.
07:44On that song.
07:46And a lot of this was really built around the harmonies.
07:49And we try to lean into more.
07:50Like when we do acoustic shows.
07:52People are always like.
07:52Gosh I love you guys with.
07:54Just voices in a guitar.
07:55And so we have three or four songs.
07:57That kind of fit a little more in that organ.
07:59Organic space where the voices are the forefront as well.
08:02That's going to be.
08:03I'm just like picturing you guys like.
08:04You know in the rhyme and doing that.
08:05Like I would listen to you guys do a whole concert.
08:07With like out any instruments.
08:08And then like.
08:09Just sing.
08:09So like what moments in the show with the tour are you like the most excited about?
08:14I think a lot of this.
08:15I mean that's actually one reason I think we did go the majority of this record.
08:19A little more organic was was actually with the show in mind.
08:22Yeah.
08:23Yeah.
08:23Was going okay we.
08:24We pretty much have like a lot of those big fun moments covered on the first Christmas record.
08:29And we're not bringing an orchestra with us.
08:31Yeah.
08:31So it's like.
08:32Yeah.
08:33And we're not going to lose.
08:34A hundred thousand dollars a night.
08:36Right.
08:36On an orchestra.
08:37But.
08:38Uh.
08:39I think that is having that in mind the tour actually helped us make this record.
08:44Because like we want we had already envisioned the tour like kind of starting out pretty
08:48pretty fun.
08:49But then.
08:49Kind of easing people in.
08:50I mean we're even going to do a slow.
08:53Uh.
08:54I keep on wanting to call it matinee.
08:55What do you call it?
08:56Intermission.
08:56Intermission.
08:57Oh I love an intermission.
08:58I love it.
08:59We're even going to do a little intermission.
09:00So it's just a way to take them through a little bit of a journey because.
09:03Uh.
09:04You know and then end really strong and fun.
09:06And you know we are going to have some horns out.
09:08But it's like to me.
09:09To create a cool kind of you know like some different moments.
09:14In the show.
09:15Maybe even a little costume change.
09:17Yeah.
09:18When I say costume.
09:19Yeah.
09:19I like that.
09:19Yeah.
09:19I like that.
09:19I love a Christmas show because it feels like a recital.
09:21You get to sit down.
09:22It's so cold.
09:23And you can.
09:23And you can.
09:24Kind of pull the cheese out a little bit.
09:26Oh.
09:26Without being judged.
09:27You can pull the cheese.
09:28Yeah.
09:28So it might.
09:29We might pull the cheese out a little bit.
09:30Yeah.
09:30There's such a wide breadth of like feelings.
09:34Christmas or and and you know experiences with Christmas.
09:37You know some people go and they.
09:39Listen to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra every year and that's there.
09:42So it's this big really produced sound.
09:44And then you have you know the more intimate like just a guitar like you're in front of.
09:49The fireplace and and I think we all have at least I'll speak from.
09:54Myself I love all of it and so to try to bring what we do into all of those spaces.
09:59To give the audience that full well-rounded experience I mean.
10:04And I've just dreamed of families coming.
10:08Yeah.
10:08And bringing.
10:09Their kids and it's like you know the shows in the evening bring your kids let them wear
10:13their Christmas.
10:14Jammies like make it a thing you know like I can't wait to look out and see.
10:17Generations of a family.
10:18Yeah.
10:18I want grandma.
10:19Small all the way down to the to you know to the little toddler.
10:23And we're always looking for.
10:24Ways to connect with the crowd like and that's what our last theater tour really we learned
10:29so.
10:29Much because it was all requests you know it was a request line and so the way that you
10:34can.
10:34Have a conversation with the crowd and and make it just feel.
10:39Like a once truly once in a night once in a lifetime night where.
10:44We're excited to bring that aspect of of what we do into each each tour date.
10:49It is.
10:49It's going to be so much fun.
10:50I want to talk more Christmas themed questions with you guys.
10:53What kind of.
10:54Holiday shoppers are you are you like done ahead of time are you procrastinators are you out.
10:59This year we have to be done ahead of time our tour who this tour is busy.
11:03I mean you obviously are.
11:04Fitting in a whole you know tour from December 1 to 24 basically you're 23.
11:09Um.
11:09I'd like to go a little on the early side I start to get a little stressed out in the
11:13last minute world I mean.
11:14I could see it yeah.
11:14Starting Thanksgiving we kind of start the sort of decorations that afternoon.
11:19We.
11:19You know we start making the Excel spreadsheet of family gifts and everything.
11:23You're so organized.
11:24Oh.
11:24Um well I'll put that on yeah my wife does but um anyways yeah I mean I'd say more Thanksgiving.
11:29I'd say early especially with this year but yeah I know y'all decorate early too Hill.
11:33We do.
11:33We do.
11:34Yeah.
11:34Um I've got things in in an Amazon cart right now I haven't pressed go on them but.
11:39Yeah.
11:40Shopping early.
11:40Piling it up.
11:41Shopping early.
11:42Have one more little person to buy for this year.
11:44Um and yeah just trying to think about every year.
11:49Every year we get to the end of Christmas day and we promise that we're gonna.
11:54Do less like because the kids it's like I need to just space them out.
11:59Over a week or two.
12:00Yeah.
12:00I feel like they get so overwhelmed and a lot of it is my mom and dad.
12:04If you're listening you can buy less um but we know you love them and spoil them.
12:09Um but I think that we just have that conversation every year of like how can we just.
12:14Make this more quality and less quantity and I think.
12:19That's that's some of what I'm thinking about going into this year too and maybe the tour will be a beautiful.
12:24Way that that naturally kind of.
12:25Yeah I'm sure.
12:26Takes shape because.
12:27Mm-hmm.
12:28Don't have as much time.
12:29Don't have as much time to go get the last minute things that they probably would never have missed.
12:34Yeah.
12:34Don't have like a go-to gift you have like a little bottle of wine that you always give or a gas.
12:39That you're like this always.
12:41I think with our like team I uh we had somebody.
12:44That works with us and they always like she would always send like oranges and that was her thing for like because we have a.
12:49Ton of people like in our crew and I almost think that's the more stressful thing is.
12:54Making sure you don't forget someone and do and yeah um but like she was always the orange one.
12:59The orange person and it was like always knew I was gonna have for it which is sounds random but I always.
13:04Loved it and I was like oh sweet I got oranges or you might be this and I tried to be the steak guy for a while.
13:09Like the Omaha steaks um but like yeah I kind of I want to I want to be known as like.
13:14This is the guy and Charles you know.
13:16You want to get on the list.
13:17I want to add it's like.
13:18Yeah you want to get.
13:18Yeah.
13:19Whatever it might be um you know his Charles's famous meatloaf.
13:23There you go.
13:24Oh what is this famous?
13:26Is it famous?
13:27I actually love meatloaf but like something.
13:29About like yeah sending me a loaf of meat.
13:31Charles's fruitcake.
13:32I hate fruitcake.
13:34You gotta find it.
13:35Are you the only human being in the world.
13:37Anything that sits there for 30 days it's.
13:39It's aged you know.
13:41Soaked.
13:41Soaked.
13:41Soaked.
13:41Soaked.
13:42I am into it.
13:43Right.
13:43Soaked.
13:44And love.
13:45What about favorite favorite family traditions?
13:47Either ones you did growing up or you do with.
13:49The kids now.
13:50I think everybody does the Christmas jammies now.
13:52That's kind of the thing.
13:53That has become everyone.
13:53But it's so perfect.
13:54I mean you gotta do it everybody.
13:56It's hard to find jammies that fit me.
13:58I can never get one that.
13:59That truly match.
14:00Right.
14:00Which stinks.
14:01They're not long enough.
14:02Yeah.
14:02I've been.
14:02I'm still begging for.
14:04For a onesie for a 6'6".
14:07Big and tall.
14:09Yeah.
14:09Because I want a onesie so bad.
14:10And one can imagine without going into detail.
14:13What a.
14:14Tight onesie does on a 6'6 fan.
14:17Right.
14:17That's why there's not any family photos of that.
14:19It pools in places you don't want to be pooled.
14:22I've tried.
14:23And it just.
14:24It doesn't work.
14:25It does not work.
14:26Have you guys thought at all about New Year's Resume?
14:29Because that is also upon us.
14:31That's a great question.
14:32I don't think it really kind of made it happen.
14:34That's a Christmas tour personally.
14:35I know.
14:36Right.
14:36I always like get to like December 30th.
14:38And I'm like.
14:38Oh yeah.
14:39There's another holiday.
14:39There's another thing about that.
14:41Yeah.
14:41I think if I would have to name one.
14:43It would just be.
14:44I think this will be relatable to a lot of people listening.
14:48Low.
14:49Lower my screen time.
14:50Oh.
14:51That is my New Year's Resolution.
14:52And I think what I'm going to start doing.
14:54Because I know that this has been healthy and helpful for others is get an old.
14:59school alarm clock and leave my phone elsewhere.
15:03Yep.
15:04When I'm sleeping.
15:05I have such a hard time committing to the alarm clock though.
15:07Because I'm like.
15:07Is it going to go off?
15:08I know.
15:09I don't know.
15:09I don't know why I like have a block about it.
15:10Yeah.
15:11Or if the power.
15:12Something.
15:12Yeah.
15:13But yeah.
15:14Welcome to things I should probably just write in my diary and not say out loud.
15:18But less screen time.
15:19I'm with you on that one.
15:21Charles.
15:21I'm perfect.
15:22I don't have anything.
15:22Okay.
15:23We need.
15:24Oh boy.
15:26I like that idea though.
15:27I like that.
15:28We're getting.
15:29We're getting.
15:29We're getting.
15:29We're ordering one of these phones that you can actually like use on the wall.
15:32There's like this new thing.
15:33Oh tin can.
15:34Yeah.
15:34Yeah.
15:34My friends have it.
15:35I've been calling my best friend's kids to like say hi.
15:38Because it's their house phone.
15:38Yeah.
15:39I want to leave.
15:39I want to lean into some more stuff like that too.
15:41I mean I think that's like.
15:42I miss the house phone.
15:43Yeah.
15:43I actually call.
15:44And ask for somebody.
15:45They'll FaceTime on his laptop.
15:47Right.
15:47And I mean it's.
15:48It's.
15:49It's ridiculous.
15:50Like they just have these conversations.
15:51Which I guess is not.
15:52That's you know.
15:53It's better than texting or.
15:54But I was just.
15:55That's a great idea for the kids.
15:57It's fun.
15:58I used to call my.
15:59Best friend and the commercial break of.
16:02Shows we would watch.
16:03Yeah.
16:03And we'd like.
16:04Yeah.
16:04Did you see.
16:05Did you.
16:05You know.
16:06And just read.
16:07Like debrief.
16:08And then call the next commercial break.
16:09I mean it really was.
16:10Those were really.
16:11Yeah.
16:12Sweet times.
16:13To be.
16:13Teen.
16:14Teen.
16:14Out of the landline.
16:14Out of the landline.
16:15We were trying to explain call waiting.
16:17Which was pretty advanced.
16:18Yeah.
16:19But like Cassie's trying to explain that.
16:20Because she.
16:21She grew up in a house.
16:21A bunch of sisters and girls.
16:23And she said it was.
16:24It was.
16:24It was.
16:24The nightly fight.
16:26One.
16:27Somebody.
16:27You know.
16:27They all had boyfriends.
16:28They wanted to be on the.
16:29The nightly fight.
16:29Phone with it.
16:29It was like call waiting.
16:30It's like your boy.
16:31And they'd get really upset.
16:33If they didn't.
16:33If like.
16:34Like she didn't answer.
16:35Or like let them know that.
16:37You know.
16:37Her boyfriend had called.
16:38And I was like.
16:38I can only.
16:39Imagine.
16:39A house of three girls.
16:41Has the boyfriend.
16:41Like feel blown off.
16:42Like you didn't know.
16:42Yes.
16:43I remember when we got.
16:44Caller ID.
16:45I was just about to say.
16:46Crazy.
16:47That was fancy.
16:48It was like technology.
16:49I know.
16:50It is so funny.
16:51How far we've come.
16:52Now you literally FaceTime everyone.
16:53All the time.
16:54All right.
16:54Last question.
16:55Non-Christmas music related.
16:57Have you guys been working on new music?
16:59I was like yes.
17:00Yeah.
17:00We have a good hefty Dropbox file going.
17:03Ooh.
17:04Of songs.
17:05And we're just excited.
17:06You know.
17:07The top of the year.
17:08We're creatively.
17:09Kind of brainstorming and talking right now.
17:11And then at the top of the year.
17:12That'll be the focus of.
17:14Just digging in.
17:15And seeing what stories we want to tell.
17:18And.
17:19Production.
17:20You know.
17:20We want to just.
17:22I think.
17:23Stretch ourselves.
17:24It's more.
17:24Than we ever have.
17:26We've lived a lot of life.
17:27Since our last project.
17:28So I think.
17:29Bringing.
17:29And all that inspiration.
17:31And.
17:32Just discovering what.
17:34What.
17:34We want to say.
17:35And how we want to say it.
17:36I think we're definitely.
17:38Excited to explore.
17:39To get.
17:40You know.
17:40Maybe a little.
17:41Creatively uncomfortable.
17:42Yeah.
17:43I mean.
17:43I think.
17:43You know.
17:44One.
17:44Of the things we've.
17:45I think we've said a lot.
17:46With the last few records.
17:47Was like.
17:47We want to get back.
17:48Back to the sound.
17:49Of kind of our first couple records.
17:50And I think we've done that.
17:52And now it's like.
17:53We want to get to a sound.
17:54We.
17:54We've never explored.
17:55And we don't know what that is.
17:56Right.
17:56Because I think our voices.
17:57Are going to be the threat.
17:58Of it.
17:59And you know.
17:59But I would love.
18:01A risky.
18:03Like she said.
18:04An uncomfortable feeling.
18:05Of production wise.
18:06That like.
18:07We're not used to.
18:08In.
18:09Embrace the imperfections.
18:10All those things.
18:11You know.
18:11And so.
18:12It's going to be fun.
18:12I mean.
18:12That's going to be the focus.
18:13Of next year.
18:14I think.
18:14For us.
18:15You know.
18:15We're going to do some light touring.
18:17You know.
18:18Because.
18:19Baby's got to eat.
18:20Yeah.
18:21And also too.
18:21It's just.
18:22We miss that too.
18:23You know.
18:23We've.
18:23We've.
18:23Like.
18:24We've always kind of done that.
18:25We had the request line tour.
18:27Not too long ago.
18:28But.
18:28I think.
18:29That keeps us kind of fresh too.
18:30And excited.
18:31But.
18:31The focus is going to be music.
18:33I think this is.
18:34Uh.
18:34This is the longest we've been in between records.
18:37And.
18:38I just think we're ready to kind of.
18:39See if we can turn some heads.
18:40You know.
18:41In a cool way.
18:42That's exciting.
18:42Well.
18:43Thank you guys so much for taking the time.
18:44To come and talk about this Christmas music.
18:45I'm so excited to see the tour.
18:47It's going to be so much fun.
18:48I appreciate you guys.
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